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UK Mulls Looser Wedding Venue Rules

LONDON -- Strict rules governing civil weddings have long prevented
most British couples from taking their vows in unconventional spots
like beaches, mountaintops and medieval castles.

Now love may triumph over law.

Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government said Tuesday it wants to
overhaul the old rules and let couples say "I do" wherever
they choose.

Officials proposed scrapping the law that says weddings in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland may take place only at sites licensed by
local authorities and only in the daytime. Scotland makes its own
rules and is also considering relaxing the regulations on civil
weddings.

Under the Blair plan, city and county councils would authorize people
to officiate at weddings instead of certifying locations. As long as a
bride and groom could find a licensed official - known as a celebrant
- willing to marry them, they could tie the knot almost anywhere they
chose.

The celebrant would have to follow guidelines requiring, for example,
that the site meet safety standards. Nonetheless, the change would be
dramatic.

"It will create a lot more flexibility," said Helen
Hitchcock, owner of Milestone Weddings, a London wedding planning firm.
"There’s been an increasing trend toward stamping your own
personality on your wedding ... and I think this will have a vast
impact for an awful lot of people."

The government plan - which would not become law until it is approved
by Parliament - also proposed eliminating a rule dating to the 19th
century that requires weddings to take place before 6 p.m., before it
got dark.

Those seeking a religious wedding still face tight restrictions on
where nuptials can occur.

Church of England weddings generally have to take place in the church
of the parish where at least one of the couple lives. Driving through
the countryside and picking out a pretty little chapel for a rural
wedding is out, although the Church of England is reviewing its rules
and may loosen them.

At one time, civil weddings were just as strictly controlled. Couples
who didn’t want a religious wedding had only one choice -
unceremonious nuptials in a less-than-romantic public registry office.

Then, in 1994, Parliament gave local councils the authority to license
any locale they chose as long as the sites were enclosed and
appropriate to the dignity of marriage.

That gave thousands of couples the freedom to marry at hotels, manor
homes and historical sites, among other designated spots. London gave
the OK for weddings on the giant Ferris wheel erected beside the River
Thames. to mark the millennium, and one local government in Surrey
interpreted the dignity requirement loosely enough to allow a wedding
in a shopping mall.

The proposed overhaul will mean couples are no longer bound by the
sensibilities of local officials.

With the approval of a licensed celebrant, brides and grooms would be
free to marry in their own homes and gardens - or more exotic spots.

"I can imagine a lot of people wanting to use beach locations -
we’ve been asked that more times than I can remember - and also
people quite like the idea of woodlands," Hitchcock said.
"It’s that idea of being at one with nature ... that people
are attracted to."

Boats and parks are also likely to be popular, she said, adding that
one avid sports fan even asked her about planning a wedding on a
favorite team’s soccer field.

Many couples have been frustrated by the existing limitations. Some
have chosen to marry in a registry office, then hold an unofficial
ceremony elsewhere.

"The romantic idea of a ship captain marrying you, you
can’t do it," she said. "So much of what you can and
can’t do... dates back hundreds of years. It’s never moved
with the times."

Oliver Letwin, spokesman on domestic issues for the opposition
Conservative Party, said the Tories would support Blair’s
proposal.

"Marriage is a centerpiece of our society because the commitment
it involves provides the best hope for a solid background for our
children," he said. "We therefore welcome any measure which
makes it more attractive to make that commitment."